She Does
by TheXtremeFangirl
Summary: At the end of Just Push Play, Frank Sr. gets a glimpse of just how happy his ex-wife is with her new life and then gets a confirmation speech from Jane.


**Another "missing scene" from Just Push Play, though the first bit is actually from the episode, and the "missing scene" part is more of an "altered scene". Set near the end when Frank is back at Maura's house to apologize, sorta in his point of view, even though I don't like him, I thought I should kinda resolve his half-witted idea that Angela might take him back.**

"So, what now?" Jane asked of her parents. Frank Sr. shifted on his feet before answering.

"I'm thinkin' about moving back to Boston." he answered. Angela looked up at that.

"You have a new life in Florida, Frank. I have a new life here." she reminded him. Frank turned to look at her.

"What're you sayin' Ang?" Angela stood slowly.

"I'm saying...you're not my husband anymore. And you should go back." she answered with more confidence than he'd ever heard from her. And that was saying something. Of course, his ex-wife's phone chose that exact moment to ring. He watched as a beautiful smile that made her look ten years younger lit up her face when she looked at the caller ID.

"Excuse me. I have to take this." she said, stepping off to the side. Frank watched her carefully and listened even more carefully.

"Hey honey." she said. He could hear the tears in her voice. Jane and Maura were likely watching him watch Angela, but in that moment he couldn't care less.

" _Hey. Everything okay?_ " Her phone was loud enough that he could hear the cop's voice even from his position across the room.

"Yeah, fine." she answered, smiling _that_ smile again.

" _Are you crying Ang?_ "

"Uh, yeah, just a little." she laughed slightly, wiping at her eyes.

" _Why? Do you need me to come get you?_ " There was some faint rustling coming through the phone, which Frank could only take to mean the other man had been in bed and was getting up.

"No, no honey, no. You have to work tomorrow. I can hear you getting up, lay back down." Angela scolded lightly. "I'm fine, really." There was a pause before the lieutenant said anything else.

" _You promise?_ " Another smile lit his ex-wife's face. He'd never seen her so happy. Not even when they'd been married.

"I promise. And I promise I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, okay? I'll bring lunch up to your office."

" _Alright. I just wanted to check on you. Especially after the dinner disaster the other night. It wasn't my intention to upset you._ "

"I know. You didn't, I just didn't want you to get in trouble. I love you." she told the man, so quietly Frank almost didn't catch it.

" _I love you too Ang. So much._ " He stopped listening after that. He'd heard enough to know that there was no chance left with Angela.

He would have never pushed her until she agreed to tell him what was wrong.

He would have never called her out on lying about being okay.

He would have never tried so hard to make it up to her when he screwed up.

Frank took a moment then to remember the dinner he'd asked for. The one Angela had insisted had to be done her way. He remembered the anger he felt when she called him out on his drinking. The intense loathing on both his sons' faces when they stormed out. The unbridled rage he'd felt at seeing _his_ wife's hands on another man, the tears that filled her eyes at the thought of that man possibly getting hurt or in trouble.

And then he remembered that she wasn't his wife anymore. He remembered her smile, _that_ smile, when she opened the door and saw her boyfriend on the other side. He remembered that she had never smiled at him like that. And it was in that moment that he made his decision.

"Sorry about that." Angela's voice brought him out of his thoughts, making him notice that Jane was staring at him. "I think I'm going to call it a night. I have to work tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself Angela." Frank said quietly.

"You too Frank." Angela replied, just as quietly, before turning to her girls. "Goodnight girls. Get some rest, okay?" A few moments later, and he watched as his ex-wife exited Maura's house. Jane was staring at him again, and Maura made her excuses to give them a few moments of privacy.

"Lieutenant Cavanaugh's a good man Pop." Jane said. Frank looked down, nodding.

"Yeah, I know Janie." he sighed.

"He'll take care of her. He loves her, Pop, and she loves him. I can see it every time they look at each other. Both of them were...absolutely miserable when he broke it off the first time they were dating. Ma was sad when she thought no one was looking, and she flirted desperately to get his attention. And he was always snapping at people, growling at everyone because he realized how deeply he felt about her once he saw her as a possibility for other men. Pop, you never treated her like that. You never saw her as someone to be treasured and taken care of, you saw her as someone who was always going to be there, and you took her for granted. _That's_ why the two of you were so unhappy, it's because she realized you took her for granted, and you were frustrated that she wanted to be independent instead of just being there so you could bother with her when it was convenient for you." Jane finished her rant with tears in her eyes.

She rarely cried, so Frank knew that this had been bothering her for a long time.

"You're right Janie. You are." he nodded. "And I regret taking your mother for granted, every single day. But...I realize now that she's happy with the cop. She was never that happy with me." Frank shook his head. "I want her to be happy." Jane nodded to herself.

"Good. She is happy, and I don't want that messed up. I've never seen her so happy, and she deserves it more than anyone I know." Looking up with tears now in his own eyes, Frank looked his daughter in the eye.

"Yeah. She does."


End file.
